This week I speak with Sara Roberts about her autism parenting journey. In this unscripted conversation, we learn about her life and the challenges she faces raising her autistic son.
It’s been a minute since I’ve updated you guys on how Gavin’s journey into his adult life is going. There’s a few reasons for that but one of them is that not much has changed since the last update. Gavin was getting overwhelmed by all the changes he was perceiving and wanted everything to slow down. I was not in a good place myself and being able to take a step back helped me find my footing and catch my breath. At the same time, Gavin was still continuing his job coaching. He meets every week with his job coach to practice interviews, and work on his resume. Last week Gavin expressed interest in day services again. Day services would give him things to do during the day. There’s social…
I’ve been pushing myself a great deal recently. I’ve been struggling with burnout and today I took the entire day off for the first time in I don’t know how long. Here’s what happened.
Do you ever have one of those days where you just want the insanity to stop long enough to get off the ride? I couldn’t seem to get anything done today. My studio workstation has been acting up and so has my phone. Both are vital for my workday and neither was cooperating today. I’ve been distracted more than usual and I struggled to accomplish the things I needed to accomplish. I’ve been pushing myself with the launch of the new podcast, managing the kid's ridiculous school schedules, projects around the house, and hitting the gym. I could use a break. Thankfully, I have a short one coming up this weekend. :-) Emmett is spending the night at a friend's house tonight, so he’s off doing his own thing. Elliott…
I took the kids to Hocking Hills State Park today. It was a relatively spontaneous trip, and it’s been a little while since I’ve done anything like this with the kids. I’ve been so stressed out and distracted lately, and I feel like I’ve not spent much quality time with my kids. I needed this, and the kids definitely needed it too. It was just the three of us because the hiking would have been too much for Gavin, and he was spending a few days with his grandparents anyway. The 5 hour's drive wasn’t too bad, and we spent the afternoon exploring Old Man’s Cave and The Rock House. The hiking wasn’t too bad, and they both did great. Emmett’s been in physical therapy because he’s dealing with back…
It’s been a rough couple of days. I’m really stressed out and feeling incredibly overwhelmed. I’m trying to keep up with everything I’m supposed to be keeping up with but it’s not going so well. That being said, I also feel like all things considered, I’m doing okay. I know that sounds a little weird or contradictory but I’m treading water. To be honest, I’m a little surprised by how well I’m coping. To be clear, I’m anxious, overwhelmed, and exhausted, but I’m managing. The major things stressing me out are largely outside of my control and freaking out over them isn’t going to help. Maybe I’m just too tired to panic but I really think it has a lot to do with recognizing that I need to focus more…
It’s been a long day here in The Autism Dad household. I’m cool with long days because long days don’t always mean bad days. I feel relatively accomplished today. I got the new podcast episode out. I got my three miles this morning and my hour and a half at the gym in the afternoon. The kids are on spring break, and they’re getting on each other's nerves. I need to get them out of the house this week, but it’s been raining for the last few days, and hiking isn’t going to happen right now. Even if the weather cooperated, I had so much work to do. I desperately need the income right now, so I can’t take time off. It’s frustrating. What I really want to do is…
I don't think I've written much about how I've been doing, at least not in great detail. I’ve shared little bits here and there, but that’s about it. Writing has been much more challenging over the last year, but I’m slowly being drawn back to it. I don’t know where to begin, or if this will make sense. I’m a little scattered tonight but I suppose it will make the most sense to start with the present. It’s tough to open up about where I am and what I’m going through, especially without trying to downplay things. Writing about it is easier than talking about it in person, but it still goes against the grain for me. That being said, I’m working very hard to find my way back to…